Which Dynamic Electricity Tariff Provider Is the Best Fit for Your Solar System?

Since 1 January 2025, every electricity supplier in Germany has to offer a dynamic tariff. So the choice is wide, and the differences are in the small print. A good dynamic electricity tariff provider stands out mainly on base fee, markup per kilowatt-hour, contract term, app and interfaces, and how it handles the smart meter. You will deliberately not find a ranking or «test winner» here, because conditions change all the time. Instead, as a photovoltaic installer from Hannover, we show you the criteria to check any offer yourself, especially if you have a solar system.

How a dynamic tariff works in principle is explained in our guide What is a dynamic electricity tariff?. Whether it pays off for you is covered in What does a dynamic electricity tariff cost?.

Dynamic Electricity Tariff Provider: Key Facts

What Makes a Good Dynamic Electricity Tariff Provider?

A dynamic electricity tariff provider passes on the day-ahead price of the EPEX SPOT power exchange. The exchange price itself is the same for everyone. Good providers differ in how fairly and transparently they pass it on and what they charge for it. Check these criteria:

Ask for the contract summary before signing. Under Section 41a EnWG, the supplier must inform you about the costs, advantages, disadvantages and risks of the dynamic tariff.

How Do Dynamic Electricity Tariff Costs Affect Your Monthly Bill?

Your bill shows which parts the provider controls and which it does not. The provider sets only two items: its base fee and its markup per kilowatt-hour. Exchange price, grid fees, electricity tax, levies and VAT are the same for every dynamic electricity tariff provider as long as you live in the same grid area. The full breakdown, including smart meter costs, is in our article on dynamic electricity tariff costs.

Because the exchange price changes every month, your monthly bill fluctuates too. Some providers bill monthly by actual consumption, others with fixed instalments and an annual statement. If you need predictability, check how the provider handles back payments.

How to Compare Dynamic Electricity Tariff Providers

Since the exchange price is the same for everyone, the comparison comes down to a simple formula: the provider’s annual cost = 12 × base fee + consumption × markup. Which provider is cheaper therefore depends on your grid draw: with low consumption the base fee weighs more, with high consumption the markup.

Example: base fee or markup?

Two fictitious offers, values for illustration only: provider A charges 5 € per month and a 3 ct/kWh markup, provider B 10 € per month and 1 ct/kWh.

With a solar system and battery, you buy much less electricity, so a low base fee often matters more to you than a low markup. Always use your actual grid draw over the last twelve months, not your total consumption.

Why Is the Combination of Dynamic Tariffs and Photovoltaics So Attractive?

Whether the combination pays off for you depends mainly on an EV, heat pump and battery; the figures are in Is a dynamic electricity tariff worth it with a PV system?. When choosing a provider, PV owners should know three things:

• The feed-in tariff does not come from the provider: the EEG payment for your surplus is paid by the grid operator. Switching supplier does not change it, and no dynamic tariff pays you more for exporting at expensive times. For new systems up to 10 kWp commissioned from 1 August 2026 it is 7.70 ct/kWh for partial feed-in.
• Negative prices: new systems with a smart meter receive no feed-in tariff during negative exchange prices. More in our article on the Solar Peak Law.
• Low grid draw: because you buy less electricity, the base fee weighs more, see the example above.

How Does Dynamic Tariff Optimization Work with a Solar System?

You only get the benefit of a dynamic tariff with automatic control. For choosing a provider, this means: check whether your energy management system, your wallbox or your heat pump can use the provider’s prices at all. Many systems read the public day-ahead price directly. Then the provider is secondary for control, and only the base fee and markup matter.

• The home battery primarily covers the expensive evening peak with solar power.
• EV and heat pump run on solar power during the day and in cheap exchange hours in winter, see photovoltaics with heat pumps and wallboxes.
• Charging the battery from the grid only pays off with large price differences, because losses occur.

Be careful with tariffs that are only offered together with specific hardware. Check whether this ties you to one provider in the long term.

Smart meter: what the provider handles and what it does not

Without a smart metering system, no provider can bill dynamically. It is installed by the metering point operator, usually the default metering point operator in your grid area. Under Section 29 MsbG it is mandatory above 6,000 kWh annual consumption, for controllable devices under Section 14a EnWG and for generation systems above 7 kW. Everyone else can order the installation since 2025, and it must then be completed within four months.

Some providers arrange installation through their own or another metering point operator. The legal price caps under Section 30 MsbG apply to the default metering point operator, so ask about fees and contract term if another operator installs it.

Which Dynamic Solar Tariff Options Are Available for Households in Lower Saxony?

Because the obligation to offer applies to all suppliers, you can ask your local municipal utility or default supplier in Hannover, Braunschweig, Wolfsburg or Bremen for a dynamic tariff, not just nationwide digital providers. A good dynamic electricity tariff provider does not have to be a nationwide one. Grid fees depend on your grid area; in the Hannover region, for example, enercity Netz or Avacon depending on location. Always compare offers using your postcode.

If you have a heat pump or wallbox registered as a controllable device, look at Module 3 under Section 14a EnWG. Your grid operator sets the time windows for the time-variable grid fee, and in practice it is usually ordered through your electricity supplier. Ask before signing whether the provider handles Module 3.

Which dynamic electricity tariff provider is best?

No provider is the best for everyone. A dynamic electricity tariff only pays off with the provider whose base fee and markup match your grid draw. With low grid draw a low base fee usually wins, with high consumption a low markup. Add a short contract term, a good app and an open interface for your control system. Comparison calculators work with past exchange prices and are no guarantee of future savings.

Checklist before you sign

• Does the provider bill quarter-hourly or hourly prices, not just monthly averages?
• How high are the base fee and markup, net or gross?
• Can the contract be cancelled monthly?
• Do you already have a smart metering system, and who installs it otherwise?
• Can your energy management use the prices?
• Does the provider support Modules 1 and 3 under Section 14a EnWG?
• Is the tariff tied to hardware?
• How is billing done: monthly or by instalments?

Ready to Upgrade Your Energy Supply?

We are not an electricity supplier and do not sell tariffs. We design and install your PV system with BYD storage, wallbox and energy management so that it works with the dynamic tariff of your choice, in Hannover, Lower Saxony and Bremen. Request a free, no-obligation quote, call 0511 3360603 or message us on WhatsApp at +49 176 2399 8536.

Frequently Asked Questions

Note: This article provides a general overview (as of November 2026) and does not replace legal advice. The providers in the example are fictitious.